Mount Fanjing
Costfoto / Barcroft Media
Mount Fanjing or as it is called in Chinese, Fanjingshan is located in South West China. Rising to a height of just over 8200 feet, Mount Fanjing was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2018. Besides being a natural wonder, the area includes a number of Buddhist temples as well.
Mount Fanjing is considered a holy site in Buddhism and it’s name means “Brahma’s Pure Land”. It’s peak is known as the Red Cloud Golden Summit and is topped by two temples, with a narrow gorge in between and a footbridge linking them.
Getting to Mount Fanjing is not easy. Located about 12 miles from the city of Tongren, daily buses run to the mountain and the journey takes around 90 minutes. There is limited accommodation in the area. However, its relatively isolated location means, that it is home to a great variety of plant and animal life, including the rare Guizhou Golden Monkey and the Chinese Giant Salamander. The area has over 2000 varieties of plants and trees, many of them unique to the place.
However, this isolation can also be a blessing for the modern traveler, as Mount Fanjing is not overrun by tourists. Its possible to get to the top of the mountain and many pilgrims and visitors do so. The climb is not for the faint hearted, although there are stops along the way as well as some refreshment stalls. Legend has it, that there are 8888 steps to the top, so if you can make it to the peak, the views are spectacular. Another option is to take a cable car to a nearby outcrop, known as Mushroom Peak.
Mount Fanjing is a beautiful, quiet and unique site and can make a refreshing and spiritual change after the hustle and bustle of big cities.
Clkraus / Shutterstock
Costfoto / Barcroft Media
Costfoto / Barcroft Media
Yuanyuan Yan
Clkraus / Shutterstock
Yuanyuan Yan / Getty
UnusualPlaces Field Notes
- Location
- Fanjingshan (Mount Fanjing) peak, Tongren, Guizhou, China
- Coordinates
- 27.91939, 108.69214
- Access
- Timed, real-name advance reservation is required. Enter through either the East Gate (Jiangkou) or West Gate (Yinjiang); tickets are not interchangeable. East route uses a sightseeing bus and has a cableway; West route has no cableway. Weather can close routes or facilities.
- Admission
- Paid scenic-area ticket required, with route-specific East and West tickets; reserve through the official Fanjingshan channels. Current fare was not confirmed from a current dated official tariff, so no amount is shown.
- Time needed
- The official visitor instructions estimate about 4 hours for the East-route uphill walk if walking rather than using the cableway; this is ascent time, not total visit duration.
- Best season
- The scenic-area operator does not publish one official best season on the pages reviewed. Two current travel guides highlight April–May for spring blooms and September–October/November for autumn colour and a better chance of clear summit views. These are seasonal planning windows, not guaranteed conditions: Fanjingshan is a high, rainy, often-cloudy mountain, and weather can affect trails and facilities. The official site changes entry hours for holidays; check its live notices and reserve the correct East or West route.
- Opening hours
- Temporary holiday schedule Sep 25–Oct 7, 2026: online sales from 06:30; East/Jiangkou entry 06:30–15:00; West/Yinjiang entry 06:30–13:00. The official regular schedule from Sep 1 is 07:00 sales, East entry 07:00–15:00, West 07:00–13:00; check for later notices.
- Location checked
- 2026-09-27
- Facts checked
- 2026-10-02
Location
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